Releasable hook for lifeboats



April 27 1926.

A. W. LYDA RELEASABLE HOOK FOR LIFEBOATS Original Filed July 12, 19 22 Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

' ARTHUR w. LYDA, or NORTH CANTON, onio, Assrenon .TO THE AMERiCAN PATENT OFFICE;

NAVIGATION COMPANY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RELEASABLE HOOK FOR LIFEBOATS.

Original application filed July '12, 1922, Serial nofsmaso. Divided and r a 10, 1925. Serial No. 49,290.

To all whom 2'25 may concerm,

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. LYDA, a citizen of the. United States, residing at North Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have-invented a new and use lul Releasable Hook for Lifeboats, which is a division of my copending application Serial No. 574,430, filed July 12, 1922, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life boats and davits for carrying and raising and lowering the same, and more particularly to a releasable hook upon the cable of the davit for automatically releasing the life boat therefrom as the same touches the surface oi": the water.

The object of the improvement .is to pro vide a hook upon the free end of the cable, carried by the davit, said hook supporting the life boat and being arranged to automatically release the same as the lite boat reaches the surface of the water.

The above and other objects may be attained by constructing the improved hook in the manner illustrated in the accompany ing drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a life boat carried by davits and provided with the releasable hooks to which the invention pertains; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the automatically releasable hook.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the draw- 'ing. I

A portion of the deck of a ship is shown at 2 and a spaced pair of standards 8 are mounted thereon, at the proper distance apart, to accommodate the life boat indicated generally at 4. Each of the standards 8 may comprise a base portion 5, secured to the deck near the side of the ship, a pair of spaced uprights 6 being fixed thereon.

A rotatable shaft 7 is journaled through the lower portion of each standard and the davits 8 may be journaled upon said shaft at their lower ends, each davit being arranged to be received between the uprights 6 when in the raised position.

A drum or spool 10 is fixed upon the shaft between each pair of uprights 6, a cable 11 being fixed at one end to each drum, the

free end thereof extended upward over the pulley 12, carried at the upper end of the standard 8, and over a pulley 13, upon the free end of the davit 8, having connected to its free extremity the automatically releasable hook 14, illustrated in Fig.2.

This hook comprises a pair of spaced plates 15, connected at their upper ends as by a boss 16, which is internally threaded as at 17, to receive the threaded shank 18, of

the eye 19, by means of which the hook is connected tothe cable. The curved hook member is pivoted, as at 21, to the lower end portions of the plates 15, between the same, and provided with the squared upper extremity 22, normally engaged by the shoulder 23 upon the releasing lever 24, which is provided with the depending weighted arm 25, and pivoted at 25.

The plunger 26 isslidably mounted through the bearing members 27, connected to the plates 15, and provided with the headed shank 28, extending through the slot 29 in the lever 24.

The lower end of the plunger 26 is provided with a foot 30, which normally projects beneath the link or eye3l fixed upon the trunnion 32 of the life boat.

It will thus be seen that when the weight of the boat is suspended upon the hook member 20, the link 31, engaging the foot 30, will hold the plunger 26, and with it the le'- ver 24 down holding the shoulder 23 of the lever in engagement with the squared extremity 22 of the hook 20.

-As soon as the downward pull upon the hook member 20 is released, it will be seen ing the lever 24, and allowing the hook member 20 to drop, releasing the eye or link 31 therefro1n.- Itis pointed out that the plates 15 extend out-ward beyond the normal position of the weight 25, thus preventing accidental operation of the hook to release the same. I

When the boat is lowered, as the same reaches the surface of the water, thepull upon the cables 11 will be slackened, releasiug the pull upon the releasable hook, allowing the link or eye to rise sufficiently, with relation to hook member 20, to permit the weight 25 to swing inward, releasing the lever 24 from engagement with the hook mem: ber, allowing the said hook member to drop upon its pivotal point 2l,and permitting the boat to swing clear of the hook, when it this applicationfiled August SAFETY A Wlll be operated by the creW in the usual manner.

I claim 1. A life boat and davits for a ship including cables, a hook upon the end of each cable and an eye upon the boat engaged by the hook, each hook comprising a curved hook member located through the eye, a lever normally holding the hook member in locked position, a plunger connected to the lever and provided with a foot arranged to be engaged by the eye to hold the lever in the locked position, and means for moving the lever out of engagement with the hook member when the pull upon the eye is released.

2. A life boat and davits for a ship including cables, a hook upon the end of each cable and an eye upon the boat engaged by the hook, each hook comprising a curved hook member located through the eye, a lever normally holding the hook member in locked position, a plunger connected to the lever and provided With a foot arranged to be engaged by the eye to hold the lever in the locked position, and a Weight for swinging the lever out of engagement with the hook member When the pull upon the eye is released.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ARTHUR IV. LYDA. 

